Eureka weekly sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1887-1902, 1887-11-05
THE GREAT MYSTERY.
How Was Henry BenhRyOn Dis
posed of?

lDOSeU Oh
The San Francisco Bulletin has the
following: There has been nothing
talked about in this city for some
days but the mystery connected with
the death of H. Benhayon. The
newspapers have been loaded down
with pages of testimony, taken before
the Coroner's jury, which have been
greedily devoured by all those who
have the time for such work. To the
more busy part Of the community the
condensations which, while following
steadily the narrative, present all the
points in clear and succinct shape,
have been in the nature of a boon.
The terrible story cannot be said to
present American features. 1t reads
like something that had happened in
Paris or London. Many of the charac-
tiers who figure in are not easily re-
cognizable as the products OF our
civilization. The sensation caused by
the death of Benhayon depends on the
light in which it is viewed in connec-
ton with a murder equally startling,
committed some time ago. Ben
hayon is the brother OF Mrs. Bowers,
for the murder of whom by poison j.
Milton Bowers, her husband, is now
under sentence of death. The motive
for the atrocious deed was supposed to
be life insurance to the extent OF
about seventeen thousand dollars on
Mrs Bowers life. made payable to the
husband. The confession alleged to
have been left, by Benhayon states
that it was he and not the husband
who poisoned his sister, and that his
motive was to get the same insurance,
which had been transferred to him.
The first aspect of the case was
suicide brought about either by. re-
morse or the loss of a memorandum
book in which the evidence OF his
crime were noted, the agent used for
the destruction OF life being cyanide of
potassium. If this should be finally
determined to be the true version OF
the case, Bowers, who was convicted
on circumstantial evidence, will neces-
sarily be pardoned, and will receive
the $17, 900 for which his wife's life
was insured. But the theory OF sui
eide has been strongly doubted from
the beginning. There is no legal evl-
dence that Mrs. Bowers ever trans
ferred the policies on her life
to her brother, Benhayon. The man.
ner in which the body was found sug.-
gested the idea that death was not
caused by himself. He appeared to
have been carefully laid out. There
was no disturbance observable in the
apartment. There is also good deal
of mystery connected with the
hiring of the room. Persons more
or less incomprehensible appear
at various stages of the thrilling
drama. Cyanide of potassium, few
days before the murder or suicide, was
obtained by one of these persons. On
the other hand, experts affirm that
the confession OF Benhayon is in his
If these conclusions
should be established the theory OF
suicide would be greatly strengthened.
But this class of testimony no longer
holds the place in the courts for
merlv accorded to it. Besides, his
mother denies yehemently that the
confession was in her sons hand-
writing. :.
Whatever may be the solution OF
the tangled and bloody skein, it is
quite clear that the curtain has been
lifted on scenes, tragedies and actors
of which the public heretofore had
little knowledge. If the popular no.
ton should be realized, we have
among us individuals quite as bad
as the Borgias, to whom human life
is nothing when it stands in their
way. A loose system OF life insur-
rnce, in this case amounting, as al
ready stated, to $4,000, is the thread
by which the terrible narrative hangs,
no matter from what point it is
viewed. 1t is that pile OF gold
which, according to the verdict OF
the courts, induced Bowers to poison
his wife. Again, in the suicide the
ory, it is assigned as the cause
which prompted Benhayon to poison
his sister. It will finally fall to the
condemned Bowers, if under the new